COMMUNITY

Events/activities should be student-led and are designed to benefit groups of students, not individuals. Grants are available under the following categories which align with the TUSA student promises. The committee will consider grants received from TUSA State Council, TUSA affiliated Clubs and Societies and other student groups.

• Making a Difference Grants
• Giving Students Voice Grants
• Helping Students Connect & Activate Grants
• Helping Students Develop & Grow Grants

For more detailed information, please refer to the C+S Handbook 2024.

• Capital – Capital/gear grants are available for one-off large purchases of equipment or replacement of equipment that is integral for the running of a club/society or to benefit the wider student population on our campuses. This grant covers items that are available for ongoing use up to 3 years. It does not apply to items that would not be considered assets, such as running expense supplies. These grants aren’t capped due to the nature of what they support. The item/s must be available for the benefit of all members.
• Activity/Events –These grants support the delivery of activities and events and must align with TUSA values and promises. Clubs and Societies events/activities must align with the aims and objectives of their club/society e.g. a cultural society holding a Mid-Autumn Festival.
  • Balls/End of year formal dinner invitation etiquette: as a courtesy and in recognition of financial support received from their school/college and TUSA, academic societies planning to hold balls and annual dinners should extend an invitation to their Head of School and any other notable key stakeholders from within TUSA and/or the University, by way of complimentary or discounted ticket/s.
• Maintenance – Helping to support the upkeep of equipment that is integral for a club or society to remain active.
• WHS – Work health and safety grants are there to support UTAS students and to make sure a club/society is being run safely & ensuring they meet and comply with WHS regulations.
• Conference Travel – TUSA recognises the value conferences can have in upskilling and supporting the growth of clubs and societies and student representatives. Grants are available for local and domestic travel.
• Start Up – Only available for brand new clubs/societies to help them run their first meeting/membership drive event and/or to get basic items to help run the club/society.
• C&S Signature Events – Discretionary funding may be sought to support a significant event (Engi Laneway, MSS Night Market) on campus that caters to a large number of uni students. Applications for these events require prior conversation with TUSA.

Refer to Grant Limits table for details on limits/caps on grants.

Grants Specific to Sporting and Adventure Clubs:

Specific grants are also available to sporting & adventure clubs as per the Clubs and Societies Policies.  

Sporting and Adventure Clubs may apply for assistance to purchase equipment that they require for their sporting or adventure activities. At their discretion, the Grant Committee may agree to fund up to 75% of the purchase cost, or 100% of the equipment purchase cost for new clubs. This generally does not include personal items (i.e., items that will become the personal possession of an individual club member) or items such as uniforms.

1. Objectives/Purpose
   This grant shall be provided to assist clubs with undertaking large projects that advance their club’s strategic aims and objectives. Projects can include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
   a.  Equipment purchases, repairs, and replacement; or
   b.  Skills training aimed at improving long-term sporting performance, umpiring, and/or administration within the club.
2. In relation to equipment, allowable expenses shall mean:
   a.  Equipment used in the pursuit of that club’s sport or adventure activity; or
   b.  Equipment and capital expenditure to further the interests of the club; or
   c.  Administration costs related to the purchase and/or planning of equipment and capital expenditure; or
   d.  Funding for the repairs caused by accident or general wear and tear, but not where such repair is required due to the negligence or wilful actions of a particular party.
3. All equipment purchased through a capital project grant shall remain the sole property of the TUSA unless subsequently purchased from the TUSA. This equipment is to be held in trust by the Club, who shall have exclusive management and control of the equipment, and be responsible for ongoing costs including, but not limited to, registration or maintenance.
4. Application Requirements
   The application form for a large capital project grant must detail:
   a. An outline of the proposal for which the grant is sought.
   b. Number of current UTAS students and non-student members
   c. Membership fee charged for current UTAS students and non-student members
   d. Two quotes are required for items over $500

To apply for a grant Clubs & Societies must complete the Grant Application Form on Rubric (QPay).

Grant applications must be received for review before an event/activity or capital purchase takes place. Funding will not be provided for activities/events that have already taken place.

An event application, with a risk assessment attached, must be submitted via Rubric (QPay) and approved by the TUSA Clubs & Societies Team before holding the event/activity.

Clubs & Societies are required to provide the following information:

• Type of grant you are applying for
• For capital/gear purchases over $500 two quotes are required
• If applying for funding for an event/initiative –
  • the description of event/initiative,
  • the purpose of event/initiative including
    • name of event,
    • date,
    • time,
    • venue,
    • location,
  • expected number of attendees
  • the purpose/proposal for which funding is sought and how it will benefit your members.
  • are you receiving any external funding? Are you selling tickets for the event or asking for a for gold coin donation?
  • provide a budget for the grant showing expected income & expenses
  • any other information to support your application

Only one grant application per event/activity will be considered.

Events should ideally take place before 30^th November to allow paperwork to be completed in time for TUSA auditing requirements unless a special arrangement has been discussed and approved by the Clubs and Societies Officer or the Student Experience & Events Officer.

TIPS on Applying:

When applying for a grant, consider the following tips:

• Make sure you have provided details on what you are applying for. The committee will want to know in detail about what the money will be used for and how it will benefit your club/society and/or the UTAS student community.
• Are you being realistic with your funding request expectations? When assessing the request, the Grant Committee will consider how many students the money will benefit. Realistically, you won’t get $500 if there are only going to be 10 students at your event/activity.
• What is the club/society/applicant contributing? The TUSA may not always fully fund an activity/purchase. Clubs and societies need to try to be self-sufficient, so consider how much the club/society will be contributing. We will look more favourably on an application knowing that the attendees will be contributing an entry fee (even a gold coin donation).
• We understand that your activity/event can’t always be held on campus, and some events are more suited to a particular venue, however we encourage you to check out locations on campus to enhance vibrancy around Uni. We will also look favourably at grant requests where events/activities are held on our campuses.
• We won’t fund events/activities held in private homes.

**Please note: the Grant Committee may at their discretion from time-to-time set/raise limits based on a case-by-case basis -e.g., if the event is aimed at showcasing student work and additional assistance is justified.

What the TUSA Cannot Support Through SSAF Funded Grants:

• Money to purchase alcohol via SSAF funding
• Supplying food & beverages at AGMs
• Prizes for individual club/society events
• Gambling
• Gifts
• Tobacco in any form whatsoever
• The payment of any fines imposed on a club/society.
• Brewing equipment or equipment related to brewing.
• Single use plastics
• TUSA funds being directly sent to support fundraising donations, although we can support an event/activity to enable you to fundraise.
• Trophies for individual club/society events or sports
• Normal operations of a club/society, such as personal transport costs
• Any items that become the personal property of members, including uniforms
• The payment to any member of the club as a player, teacher, coach, trainer or otherwise
• Court, sports or venue hire, or other costs associated with the normal day-to-day running expenses of the club/society, e.g. for weekly classes or training sessions.
• Running expenses – these items are to be funded from club/society membership fees and other club/society income, keep this in mind when setting the price of your fees. Costs considered running expenses are:
  • proof of membership items such as membership card, key chains, badges etc
  • stationery etc
  • promotional items such as stickers
  • normal operational costs
• Any other areas that arise as determined by the Grant Committee

Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF):

SSAF legislation provides a list of services on which the University is permitted to spend the funds. Importantly, these can only be:

• Non-academic; and
• Non-political

The fees collected cannot be spent on the provision of academic services or be used to support political parties or the election of a person to Parliament or a local Government body.

Applicants must ensure that their initiative relates to one of the following SSAF guidelines:

• providing food or drink to students on a campus of the higher education provider
• supporting a sporting or other recreational activity by students
• supporting the administration of a club most of whose members are students.
• promoting the health or welfare of students
• supporting debating by students
• supporting an artistic activity by students
• supporting the production and dissemination to students of media whose content is provided by students.

SSAF states a higher education provider must not spend an amount paid to the provider as a student services and amenities fee to support:

1. a political party; or
2. the election of a person as a member of:
   1. the legislature of the Commonwealth, a State, or a Territory; or
   2. a local government body.

Please refer to the C&S Political Attendance at TUSA SSAF Funded Events for further details.

The club/society will be informed by the Clubs and Societies Officer or Student Experience & Events Officer via Rubric (QPay) if your grant application was successful and how much the club/society/applicant is to receive.

Grants can only be claimed once the event/activity has taken place or item has been purchased using the Grant Claim Form on the Rubric (QPay) portal. Payment will only be made upon provision of the following:

• all relevant invoices/receipts of the items the grant is covering.
• a brief report of the event/activity
• updated budget showing actual income and expenses.
• an attendance list showing all attendees broken down into current UTAS students (must include student ID numbers) and associate members (non-current UTAS students & community members).

Only one claim per approved grant will be accepted.

Claims must be finalised by 30^th November to allow paperwork to be completed in time for TUSA auditing requirements unless a special arrangement has been discussed and approved by the Clubs and Societies Officer or Student Experience & Events Officer.

Meeting Dates for Grants 2025